Pastas & Rice

CIC: Lemongrass & Quinoa

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

CIC-header

I am pretty excited about this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge. While I didn’t vote for either of these ingredients, I’m glad they won. These two ingredients lend themselves towards healthy cooking, perfect for that post-holiday detox. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else made.

I actually found my inspiration during a search of ideas for my new Stir Fry Day Friday theme this year. Lemongrass shrimp. I reserved some of the flavoring mixture to mix into the quinoa. (I wanted to combine the two ingredients, not serve them together.) So if you don’t like or don’t want the shrimp, you can still have a beautiful, flavorful quinoa as a side to your protein of choice. You could even substitute chicken and keep the lemongrass flavor elements.

Lemongrass Shrimp with Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1 C uncooked quinoa
  • 2 1/2 tbsp lemongrass paste
  • zest 1 lime
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tsp grated ginger
  • 1-2 tsp chili paste, to taste
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 lb shrimp
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

Steps:

  1. Cook quinoa according to package direction. (General rule of thumb is 1 C quinoa:2 C liquid)
  2. In a small bowl combine lemongrass, lime zest, garlic, ginger, and chili paste. Set aside 1/3 of the mixture for the quinoa.
  3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook shrimp 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Stir in 2/3 of the lemongrass mixture and cook one minute. Toss in the fish sauce.
  4. Mix the remaining lemongrass mixture into the cooked quinoa.
  5. Serve shimp overtop the quinoa.

*The shrimp recipe is adapted from Adam at http://unorthodoxepicure.com/2014/10/02/food-snob-chronicles-shrimp-the-real-chicken-of-the-sea-2/*

Lemongrass Shrimp | Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

Bacon and Corn Stuffed Shells

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

The pantry and fridge in our home has been pretty empty since Thanksgiving. Before the holiday the only food items on the shopping list were those required for my Thanksgiving contributions. And for the cookies that needed to be made as soon as we returned. I provided 107 cookies for a Cookie Drive for the local unaccompanied airmen who will be spending the holidays without their families. The cookies were due on the 3rd so December 1st and 2nd was Operation Cookie in my kitchen. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing the recipes later this month!

I’ve also been slowed down with a wonderful December cold – which I have unfortunately passed on to my 5 month old. He’s taking it like a champ though and it’s not slowing him down.

And to top it all off my car’s check engine light came on before Thanksgiving and is finally awaiting its “doctor appointment”. Which means I have no means of going to the grocery store. I don’t think Sparrow appreciates the cold.

So I found myself brainstorming what I could possibly do with whatever I had in the fridge. I had some bacon, I had my staple of corn in the freezer, and I always have onions, there was some ricotta cheese left over from the twice baked sweet potatoes, and I had plenty of heavy cream. I also thought I had some jumbo pasta shells so that’s the direction I went. I still had to have Stuart hit the grocery store for a couple finishing ingredients (like more jumbo pasta shells, 7 wasn’t going to cut it, and Parmesan cheese) along with groceries for the rest of the week.

recipe 1

This recipe, I am proud to say, is a Lauren original. And one that turned out quite well, if I say so myself! Loaded with cheese and cream it doesn’t exactly fit on a diet plan, but it’s a wonderful comfort food dish. This filling would also be great in ravioli for a quicker meal. Serve these shells with a side salad for a complete meal. The filling stuffed 14 shells perfectly, and we had 2 left over. So I’d say it feeds 2-3.

An Original Recipe

Bacon and Corn Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

  • 4 strips center cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 C chicken stock (or white wine if you have it)
  • 1 1/3 C heavy cream
  • 14 jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 C whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/4 C + 1/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese, divided use
  • 1 egg, beaten

Steps:

  1. Cook bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When crispy, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Saute onion in bacon grease until translucent. Season with S+P. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 60 seconds. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock (or wine), scrapping up delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a bubble and let reduce, about 3 minutes. Slowly add in the heavy cream, whisking. Reduce the heat and let simmer 7-10 minutes, until reduced. Stir occasionally to prevent from burning.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Cook pasta shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  4. Prepare the filling: In a bowl combine ricotta, corn, 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, and cooked bacon. Season to taste with S+P. Stir in 1 egg.
  5. Spoon a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Spoon the filling into the shells when cool enough to handle and place in the casserole dish. Top shells with sauce, reserving 1/2 C for serving and/or leftovers.
  6. Bake shells for 20 minutes. Top with remaining Paremsan and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

shells 2

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

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Today’s Thanksgiving leftovers recipe is one that I’ve made in my kitchen before. I made this one pot meal last month when my mother-in-law was visiting. We had just joined Sam’s Club and had a coupon for a free rotisserie chicken! This skillet meal was a perfect way to use some of that chicken. We all went back for seconds. So when I decided to Thanksgiving leftovers leading up to Turkey Day I knew this dish would be on the menu.

What makes this meal perfect for after Thanksgiving is that it only dirties one pot. Okay, two pots because you need to cook some rice ahead of time. But after a whole day of pulling out casserole dishes you forgot you had, eating on that once-a-year china, and stacking up the Tuperware it’s nice to not have to wash eight thousand dishes.

This recipe can be adjusted based on your leftovers. Swap out the broccoli for some green beans or Brussels sprouts.

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 1/2 C broccoli
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 C milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 C diced cooked turkey
  • 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 C cooked rice (brown, white, or a mix of both)

Steps:

  1. In a high sided skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion and broccoli until tender. Stir in flour. Slowly mix in the milk. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly. Season with ground mustard, S+P.
  2. Add in the cooked turkey. Melt in the cheese. Mix in the rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Lauren at http://www.laurenslatest.com/broccoli-cheddar-brown-rice-skillet/*

Skillet

SRC: Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad

~ lk529 ~ 26 Comments

newsrcbanner

I love the Secret Recipe Club so much that when the opportunity presented itself to help someone out in Group B’s reveal day I jumped on it! There are four groups in the Secret Recipe Club. We each post on a different Monday. As I am a member of group D, my reveal day is the fourth Monday of every month. As you can tell, group B posts on the second Monday of the month. Today!

My assigned blog for this “bonus” posting is Flavors by Four, a mother daughter blogging team. I started searching through their blog and found over ten things that piqued my interest. They have a wonderful selection of appetizers which is perfect now that the holiday party season is fast approaching. If you like stuffed mushrooms I encourage you to head on over to their blog, they have a multitude of recipes to choose from including French Onion Soup and Spinach Artichoke. With American Thanksgiving on the horizon I was tempted to pick their Orange Cranberry Bread and Mini Gobbler Pies are a fantastic idea for leftovers! I’m actually making their Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes tomorrow night.

I ultimately settled on Nicole’s Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad. Frozen grapes are my favorite healthy dessert and we are on a grape kick right now. I also really like broccoli but never seem to buy it. I knew that this pasta salad would be great for me to have in the fridge as a quick lunch during the week. With a four month old I never know when I’ll be able to eat and this pasta salad sounded like a great alternative to my bagel. Of course, this would be a perfect dish to take to a potluck!

Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 6 strips cooked center cut bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained
  • 2 heaping cups halved grapes
  • 4 C broccoli florets
  • 2 heaping tbsp finely diced red onion
  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 1/3 C red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl toss together cooked bacon, cooked pasta, grapes, broccoli, and red onion.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Toss pasta salad in dressing and chill in the refrigerator over night.

*This recipe is adapted from Nicole at http://flavorsbyfour.blogspot.com/2013/09/broccoli-grape-pasta-salad.html *

Pasta Salad FG1

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Today is National Pasta Day!

As if I needed an excuse to eat pasta!

I must admit, when I saw this pasta sauce I judged it solely by its cover. Had I read its description I would have passed it up.

Alfredo isn’t my favorite sauce – which is surprising seeing as cream sauces typically make my mouth water – I simply find that it’s always lacking in flavor.

Bell peppers aren’t my favorite vegetable, I usually find their flavor too strong.

Goat cheese is one of those cheeses that I’m on the fence with. I’ve had it in cheesecake and it was fabulous and I’ve had it in macaroni and hated it.

So why on earth would I combine these three flavors? Well, because the original photograph depicted a creamy pink sauce that I just can’t resist!  Sure, I could’ve read the ingredients and continued on my merry way but I don’t just cook for myself. I have a husband who enjoys my cooking and supports my hobby. A husband who is always the inspiration behind what I cook. Stuart likes alfredo sauce, loves bell peppers, and enjoys goat cheese. I continued with my plan and topped my favorite pasta shape with beautiful roasted red pepper alfredo sauce.

I am pleased to announce that I greatly enjoyed this pasta sauce. The goat cheese added the zip that I find is missing in most alfredo sauces and the roasted red peppers provided a beautiful color and earthy flavor to the creamy sauce. Honestly, I think the sauce tasted better for lunch the next day!

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 4 oz goat cheese, cubed
  • 1/2 C grated Parmesan
  • 1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan over medium high heat saute onion in olive oil. When translucent add garlic and cook another 60 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Add the cheese and cook until melted. Add the roasted red peppers.
  2. Using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Note: If you don’t have an immersion blender use a counter-top blender, just be sure to leave the lid cracked because the sauce is hot. 
  3. Serve over your favorite cooked pasta. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.

*This recipe is adapted from Chungah at http://damndelicious.net/2013/12/02/roasted-red-pepper-alfredo/ *

Alfredo FG1

Creamy Chorizo Pasta

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

L&K visit

Before we left Florida, my brother and his fiance came to visit so they could meet my little man when he was 3 weeks old. My brother used to have a fear of holding babies. The man (can I just say that’s weird to say, he’s my little brother!) that came over showed no fear, had no hesitation, and had no intention of ever putting his nephew down. I was sure that as soon as Wesley started to cry he’d be hastily handed back to me, instead Louie walked around, bounced him, talked to him, and climbed up and down the stairs. He’s a natural!

When you’re about to move the last thing you want to do is make a big grocery trip. Our last couple weeks’ dinners in Florida where comprised of whatever we could scrounge up at the house and eating out. Because we had company, I wanted whatever I made to not only use what I had in the fridge, but also be delicious. The Creamy Chorizo Pasta dish that resulted was a hit by all.

An Original Recipe

Creamy Chorizo Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb spaghetti
  • 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
  • 3 shallots, diced
  • 2 C chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 3/4 C heavy cream

Steps:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet over medium high heat brown chorizo, breaking up into bits. Add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Toss gently.
  3. Strain any fat, if desired, before adding in the heavy cream. Let sauce come to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let thicken to desired consistency. Add the cooked spaghetti and coat in the sauce.

Creamy Chorizo Pasta

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

It’s no secret that I love pasta. And cream based sauces are my absolute favorite.

There is a restaurant in Auburn, Brick Oven Pizza, that we’d always go to when parents were in town. And while their pizzas and calzones are fantastic (I love their crust), it’s their Cajun Chicken Pasta that I always order.

Now that I’m living in Ohio (with a newborn) trips to Auburn are going to be very few and far between. So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, it looked exactly like Brick Oven’s pasta dish that I love so much. It was immediately pinned and finally prepared. I switched out the pasta shape to penne and added mushrooms and parmesan cheese.

I have intentions of making a few more Auburn favorites in the coming year. War Eagle!

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 4 oz mushrooms, diced
  • 2 C half-and-half
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 2/3 C shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 3 scallions, sliced

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, onion powder, and cayenne. (Alternatively, you can use Cajun seasoning.)
  2. Season chicken with half of the spice mix from Step 1 and S+P.
  3. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Brown chicken. When cooked through, remove and set aside.
  4. In the same pot, add more olive oil if needed. Saute bell peppers, onion, and mushroom. Season with the remaining spice mix from Step 1 and S+P. Cook until vegetables are tender. (Note: if you’d like a little spice to your pasta add a little extra cayenne pepper at this step.)
  5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  6. Add half-and-half and heavy cream to the vegetables. Bring to a boil and add in the parmesan cheese.
  7. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water. Pour into the cream sauce. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened. Add cooked chicken and pasta to the sauce and toss. Stir in the scallions. Garnish with additional Cajun seasoning if desired.

*This recipe is modified from Annie at http://www.annies-eats.com/2009/07/10/louisiana-chicken-pasta/*

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Brown Sugar Tomato Pasta

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Kelli

Today is Kelli’s birthday. Kelli is my brother’s fiance and has been featured on Sew You Think You Can Cook a few times before. Her parents are passionate cooks and Kelli has shared some of their recipes with me. (Black Beans & Buffalo Chicken Dip)

I can’t wait until she officially becomes a member of the family – having been with my brother for longer than I’ve known Stuart, she’s already a sister to me. Kelli is beautiful both inside and out and is the most fashionable person I know! Every time I spend time with her I’m inspired to refresh my wardrobe, paint my nails, wear makeup and accessorize with fun jewelry. Unfortunately that urge never lasts long enough to become habit and I’m back in t-shirts and jeans, feeling frumpy before I know it. Kelli is incredibly smart and a hard worker and is currently pursuing her dreams in dental school.

Kelli’s favorite dessert is pie. I believe pumpkin is her all time favorite with key lime coming as a close second. As key lime pie is my personal favorite, I featured it last year on my birthday. But, the first time I ever tried making key lime pie was for Kelli on her birthday 3 years ago. I actually squeezed juice from real key limes for it! It was the tartest pie EVER.

I couldn’t do another key lime pie post – my previous one yields the most perfect key lime pie so there isn’t anywhere to go but down from that one! And I just use the recipe on the can of pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie. So, I asked her what she’d like featured on her day. She gave me this simple but beautiful recipe for the pasta dish her mom would always make for her on her birthday.

I absolutely loved this recipe and it is a perfect, light pasta dish for summer. It would make a great side dish too.

Brown Sugar Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 6 roma tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 lb spaghetti

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
  2. Cut tomatoes into eighths and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and olive oil. Bake for 90-120 minutes.
  3. Cook pasta in boiling salted water.
  4. In a large bowl toss together tomatoes and pasta.

Brown Sugar Tomato Pasta

Spinach and Sausage Ravioli

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Using won ton wrappers makes making ravioli an acceptable weeknight dinner. This recipe is very similar to the one I shared with you on Valentine’s Day. Except this one includes meat!

Stuart bought some Hot Italian Sausages from Publix for lunch one weekend and instead of relocating the sausages to the freezer he put the uneaten ones in the fridge. I knew I had to find a recipe to use up the meat before it went bad. Yes, I know I could’ve put them in the freezer, but here was thawed out meat ready and waiting!

I was also wanting pasta. But I didn’t want a heavy pasta because Mom was back in town helping me out. Typically when I crave pasta I’m wanting a cream based sauce – but I was trying to be conscious of my dinner choices. (Hence the increase in salad posts!) I chose to do ravioli because the blogger I found this from served hers simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mom decided to follow suit and enjoy her ravioli this way. I used my favorite, vodka sauce. And Stuart polished off a traditional jarred marinara.

Mom doesn’t mind cooking, but she hates making decisions on what to make. So her deal was, “I’ll cook it, you just have to tell me what it is.” I actually felt guilty in picking ravioli. Not because it’s difficult, but because it is time consuming. So, I got off the couch and joined her at the dining table to help assemble the ravioli. We went through the entire package of won ton wrappers – we had leftovers for days! If you assemble only what you’ll eat, keep your left over wrappers in a sealed bag in the fridge – you can even wrap them in a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

Spinach and Sausage Ravioli

Ingredients:

  • 2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 2 C fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
  • 1 C shredded Asiago cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pkg (12 oz) won ton wrappers (these can be found in the refrigerated area of the produce section)*

Steps:

  1. In a nonstick skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat. Breaking up into little pieces. Drain any fat.
  2. In a bowl combine sausage, cheese, spinach, and egg. Season with S+P.
  3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil while assembling the ravioli.
  4. Place about 1/2-1 tsp of filling in the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run along all four sides of the wrapper. Fold into a triangle and seal.
  5. Boil the ravioli in batches of 8-10 to avoid them breaking apart. Boil 3-4 minutes, or until they float. They will become slightly translucent.
  6. Heat your favorite pasta sauce and serve with ravioli. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.justputzing.com/2011/10/spinach-and-sausage-raviolis.html*

Sausage Ravioli

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Eating the Bible: A Return to Eden

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This entry is my final entry of my Lenten assignment to cook recipes from Rena Rosser’s Eating the Bible: Over 50 Delicious Recipes to Feed Your Body and Nourish Your Soul. (However, this won’t be the last thing I make from Rena’s cookbook!)

I thought it only fitting to cook the last recipe in the book!

This last entry references Deuteronomy 33:28 “And Israel shall dwell securely alone, Jacob’s blessing, in a land of grain and wine, and the heavens with drip dew.”

Rena titled this Bible study section “A Return to Eden” because it is up to the new residents of Israel to “restore [it] to its original Eden status.” The people are expected to bless the land, rather than the land bless them.

Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent, but that doesn’t mean a halt has to be put on your spiritual education until next year. Continue to live your life so that it blesses those around you.

As much as I would have liked to keep Rena’s recipe true to itself (Red Wine and Barley Salad) for this final blog post, I am allergic to barley so I substituted Israeli Couscous. Publix was out of red bell pepper so I bought a green one (I love the pop of color it brings to the salad though). After changing a few things I then changed even more to suit my personal preferences – I omitted the almonds, feta, and grapes. Having tasted the salad, grapes would be delicious in here – but the grapes in my fridge were questionable and thought it safest to leave them out. I absolutely love the dressing she created and actually tripled it to use as a marinade for grilled chicken to serve along side the couscous.

This recipe would be fantastic to add to your next potluck picnic as an alternate pasta salad!

Red Wine Israeli Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 C water
  • 1 C Israeli Couscous
  • 1/2 C diced red onion
  • 1/2 C diced bell pepper
  • 1 C quartered grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp parsley paste (use fresh parsley if you have it)

Steps:

  1.  Bring water to a boil. Add in the couscous and cook covered over low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all water is absorbed.
  2. In a bowl combine couscous with onion, pepper, and tomatoes.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and parsley paste. Note: If you are using fresh parsley do not mix it with the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss couscous salad with dressing.

*This recipe is modified from Eating the Bible by Rena Rossner*

Red Wine Israeli Couscous Salad

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